10 Summer Date Ideas

With the school year over and barbecue season underway, your children and neighbors will often be on hand to play with you. However, summertime doesn’t have to mean neglecting your spouse. These date ideas will help you remember how cool your sweetheart is, even as the weather warms up.

1. Go swimming. This could be at the beach, the pool, or even the lake if you don’t mind the mud and critters. Help your honey pick out a new pair of sunglasses or apply sunscreen. And remember, he still thinks you’re beautiful when you’re wearing a swimsuit.

2. Make fancy lemonade. The internet is swarming with recipes, so use it to discover new ways to do an old summertime favorite. This could range anywhere from adding homemade strawberry syrup to adding an infusion of ginger and mint. You could even go shopping together for the supplies, or pick up fancy glasses to sip from as you enjoy your creation.

3. Make s'mores. The days may be hot, but cool summer nights are ideal for building a bonfire and making s’mores. Keep in mind that this gooey, chocolatey treat is best enjoyed in areas designated safe for outdoor fires. If you can’t find one, you can still make it in the microwave or over a burner on your stove. Just be careful!

4. Go fishing. Growing up, my dad always took my brother and I fishing at least once every summer. As an adult, I love the nostalgia of it as well as the quiet, outdoor scenes.

5. Have a water fight. Whether you use balloons, a hose, sprinklers, or just big plastic cups, playing in the yard only gets better when you add water and a hot summer day. It's just one more way that kids stuff is not just for kids.

6. Go to the drive-in with a bucket of chicken and lots of napkins. Some outdoor theaters even have a double-feature, extending the movie watching and snuggle time. Speaking of snuggling, if your front seats aren't cuddle-friendly, consider opening the hatchback on your SUV (or borrow one from a friend) and sit back there, instead.

7. Visit a farmer's market. Savvy vendors organize these events for Saturdays. This works out great since you probably can't get the time off of work just to hang out with your spouse. (If only, right?) It can be a great way to get outside, chat with the locals, and pick up some fresh produce. Don't be afraid to be adventurous. My husband and I went to our farmer's market on campus and picked up eggplant for the first time.

8. Visit an orchard or strawberry farm. If a farmer's market just isn't enough for you and your sweetheart, consider picking apples or berries. Pick-your-own farms are often much less expensive than picking up produce at the grocery store so you can stock up with enough to put in your freezer for a midsummer smoothie. Hard work never tasted so sweet.

9. Watch a meteor shower. While you’re waiting for the next one to roll around, make a project of studying constellations and the associated mythology. In this way, you can use what you learned to identify constellations between shooting stars.

10. Go for a walk downtown. My husband and are doing this for a midweek date, and I am so excited. Going on a Tuesday after dinner means that we'll stroll hand in hand window shop without worrying about the rowdy college crowd. Sounds perfect to me.

Warm summer nights make for a wonderfully romantic rendezvous with the love of your life. But warm summer days make for fun, relationship-building moments, too! Take advantage of both with ideas from this list, and make this season one to remember.

Sara Hagmann is a stay-at-home wife and writer who loves traveling, cooking, and kissing her husband. A lot. She also blogs at recipeforhappy.blogspot.com.